Italian Prog

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   Greetings All,
I am a 46 year old male from the U.S. who has just joined the forum.  I have been a fan of Prog since the glory days of the early '70s, although I have drifted in and out of the music over the years.  It is only recently that I discovered that there are/were a bazillion different prog bands out there instead of the much more well known 10-12 from the early '70's.  Where I am totally blown away is the fertile Italian scene.  I just started listening to PFM, Banco, and Le Orme after a trip to Italy last year.  Now this has opened up a whole other world to me!
I want to thank the folks who run this site for putting up a pretty large number of MP3's from the Italian scene because this is serving as a great way to get a sample of who sounds like what.  I've downloaded those and have made a couple of awesome CD compilations which I have been playing non-stop.  The way I am about getting free MP3's (authorized or not) is that if I like it, I WILL BUY IT!  I've got a couple of CD's on order right now (Banco - Darwin, Locanda Delle Fate - Forse, and Maxophone).
I would love to hear what other Italian progheads really like.  I've read through just about every Italian band description on this site.  Prog Archives totally rules, and I am very glad to be here!
Peace,
Ulf

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Ulf Uggason Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: March 09 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 29	Topic: Italian Prog Posted: March 10 2004 at 12:35
	Greetings All, I am a 46 year old male from the U.S. who has just joined the forum. I have been a fan of Prog since the glory days of the early '70s, although I have drifted in and out of the music over the years. It is only recently that I discovered that there are/were a bazillion different prog bands out there instead of the much more well known 10-12 from the early '70's. Where I am totally blown away is the fertile Italian scene. I just started listening to PFM, Banco, and Le Orme after a trip to Italy last year. Now this has opened up a whole other world to me! I want to thank the folks who run this site for putting up a pretty large number of MP3's from the Italian scene because this is serving as a great way to get a sample of who sounds like what. I've downloaded those and have made a couple of awesome CD compilations which I have been playing non-stop. The way I am about getting free MP3's (authorized or not) is that if I like it, I WILL BUY IT! I've got a couple of CD's on order right now (Banco - Darwin, Locanda Delle Fate - Forse, and Maxophone). I would love to hear what other Italian progheads really like. I've read through just about every Italian band description on this site. Prog Archives totally rules, and I am very glad to be here! Peace, Ulf

Joren Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 07 2004 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 6667	Posted: March 10 2004 at 13:32
	Welcome aboard! I'm sorry, but I'm not very familiar with Italian prog. But soon that may change! It is indeed a fantastic thing that there are so many downloads on the website and I've made a couple of compilation CD's myself, too! There are also many people here (including myself) who share your opinion on mp3. If I like it! I'll buy it!

maani Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632	Posted: March 10 2004 at 15:26
	Ulf: First, welcome! Nice to have you aboard. I am one of the progarchives official "collaborators." And although, of course, anyone and everyone can listen to and review Italian prog, it happens to be one of the two areas in which I have the greatest interest, and in which I am most active in my reviewing. I have been listening a great deal of Italian prog lately, and agree with you that Italy is producing, overall, perhaps the best new prog of any country (including England, a close second). That said, not all Italian prog bands are as "successful" (musically) as others; some have better musicians, some have better writing, etc. A few you might check out (if you have not done so already) are (in alphabetical order): Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Consorzio Acqua Potabile, Deus ex Machina, Il Balletto di Bronzo, and Museo Rosenbach. (You can check out my reviews of some of these groups' albums by clicking on the "collaborators" button on the top of the home page, then clicking on my name - Ian Alterman - on the right side). For my money, Deus ex Machina is not only producing the best Italian prog right now, but some of the best prog anywhere. I have heard three of their six albums (two more reviews are forthcoming), and am absolutely blown away by everything they do. (In this regard, read my review of "Equilibrismo di Sofferenza.") I also really like Museo Rosenbach (an older group) and, to a slightly lesser extent, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. I was less impressed by (but still found very interesting) Il Balletto di Bronzo and Consorzio Acqua Potabile. I am always open to any Italian prog, so if you have suggestions, by all means share them. In the meantime, welcome to the site!! Peace.

Dan Bobrowski Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 02 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5243	Posted: March 10 2004 at 16:37
	Dale, The same members peruse this ENTIRE site. You can actually write yer own words here. Please stop with the self promo post........ PLEASE. We are generally older, balder, beer swilling proggers who enjoy written intercourse. Physical too, cept Peter, He's too old. Anyway, make some comments, post some sounds, offer advice on beer.

Paco Fox Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 10 2004 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 500	Posted: March 11 2004 at 08:59
	Hi: I you enjoy Locanda della Fate when it arrives, I think you can't go wrong with Allusa Fallax, a great one record band I discovered (and loved) pretty recently. Regards: Paco, alive.

maani Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632	Posted: March 11 2004 at 11:42
	Danbo: Amen to that! Peace.

Marcelo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: February 15 2004 Location: Argentina Status: Offline Points: 310	Posted: March 13 2004 at 15:32
	Welcome, Ulf! Never is too late to discover prog gems. The only problem is this: Once you know an Italian masterpiece (and there are too many) you'll never stop trying to find the next, like a vice (but what a wonderful vice!). In my own cd collection, I have more than a hundred Italian prog cds, most of them from the '70s, and I consider them a treasure . Please, don't miss Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra (among many-many-many others), it will be the first step to the obsession.